Called to Communion: Understanding the Church Today is a precious gift of Wisdom. It explains how providential are the trials through which the Catholic Church is now passing. The need of the Papal Primacy to ensure Christian unity; the true meaning of the Priesthood as a sacrament and not a mere ministry; the necessity of the Eucharist as the Sacrifice of the Savior now offering Himself on our altars; the role of the Bishops as successors of the Apostles, united with the successor of St. Peter, the Bishop of Rome; the value of suffering in union with Christ crucified; the indispensable service of the laity in the apostolate - all these are becoming more clear and meaningful in the life of the Church. Called to Communion is a goldimine of insights, which brings out the development of Catholic doctrine in our day without surrendering one iota of the deposit of faith entrusted to the Church by her Divine Founder."
- Editor, The Treasury of Catholic Wisdom

"Since Vatican II there has been intense interest in the Church - her nature, her origin, her purpose. In this short book Cardinal Ratzinger offers us what he calls a 'primer of Catholic ecclesiology.' As a true theologian, he clarifies the nature of Church, bishop and priest, basing his remarks on Scripture and Tradition. The book offers penetrating insights into the Church from a profound thinker. This is Catholic theology at its best and as it should be."
- Editor, Homiletic & Pastoral Review

"In this 'primer of Catholic ecclesiology', Cardinal Ratzinger guides us through today's confusion about the faith back to the core from which the life of the Church unfolds: communion. At the end of the journey, we not only have a better grasp of the controverted issues of the day, but also a renewed understanding of the central mystery of the Church. Called to Communion is thus a powerful encouragement to the theological and spiritual renewal envisaged by the Second Vatican Council."
- Editor, Communio

Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger is the Prefect for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Formerly Professor of Dogmatic Theology at the University of Regensburg, and author of numerous books and articles, he became Archbishop of Munich -Freising and, soon after, Cardinal. He played an important role in the Second Vatican Council.